If
you enjoy shopping, you will enjoy Bangalore. If you enjoyed Bangalore, you will
like shopping here. Bangalore has become a shopper's paradise. With popular shopping
areas like M G Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Majestic area, and Jayanagar
Shopping Complex, as well as little shops (tucked away behind the big malls) stocking
up some really trendy stuff. From the air-conditioned ambience of super stores
like Shopper's Stop and Kemp Fort to the bustling by-lanes of Chickpet, Bangalore
has something to offer every kind of shopper. You could find some of the biggest
brands in the world while strolling down Brigade Road, or exquisite silk sari
somewhere in the City Market. Whether you are looking for Kancheepuram Silk or
Swarovski crystal, chances are you will find it in Bangalore. You just need to
know where to look.

Bangalore
is currently seeing something of a retail boom. Several supermarkers
and malls have sprung up in the recent past. To name a few, the
largest mall in Bangalore, the Mantri Square in Malleshwaram was
recently inaugurated. Besides there are others such as the Fabmall,
Sunday to Monday, and the brand new Family Mart. The latest buzz
is that of hypermarkets - Big Bazaar is already functional. Bangalore
is also the base for Metro Cash & Carry, strictly a B2B retailing
zone, which now has establishments in Yeshwantpur and Kanakpura
Road. The newest addition to the Mall Wagon is the Gopalan Mall
or Namma Mall on Msore Road.

Mantri Square :
The newest addition to the Bangalore Mall scene is the Mantri Square
on Sampige Road Malleshwaram, said to be the largest mall in Bangalore
till date. It has been developed by real estate developer Mantri
group just besides their residential complex Mantri Greens.

Mantri
Square has 5 stories including shops in the basement. It has another
2 stories of basement for parking.

Mantri Square Mall has many unique features:

*
The only mall in Bangalore to have 5 departmental stores under one
roof.
* Largest Food Court (Palate) in Bangalore with a seating capacity
of 750.
* 39 F&B Outlets - Highest in South India

Gopalan
Mall,
the first mall on the crowded Mysore Road, is an ideal shopping
destination for people commuting from Mysore to Bangalore. With
the theme Namma Mall, Gopalan Mall provides all commodities at reasonable
prices to consumers.

With
the city undergoing rapid development and urbanisation, the public is being wooed
with various malls that offer complete entertainment to the entire family. The
shift of focus from the central part of the city to the outskirts has become more
obvious with the speedy development that is taking place in faraway places.

The most recent trend, of course, is mall mania! The Forum Mall on Hosur
Road is the citys important landmark, housing some of the worlds best-known
brands, along with state-of-the art parking facilities, with an 11-screen multiplex
due soon. Sigma Mall on Cunningham Road, is
being positioned as a young adults entertainment zone. And, as if to epitomize
the transformation of Bangalore from pensioners paradise to young peoples
paradise, the erstwhile Victoria Hotel off M.G. Road has become Bangalore Central,
housing a pub, entertainment areas and food courts.

"The Forum"on
Hosur Road offers people not just a shopping experience, but several options from
food to entertainment. Sources say it could well be the biggest mall in India
with an area of around 650,000 lakh sq ft and parking of 300,000 sq ft where around
800 cars can
be comfortably parked. Some
of the biggest brands in the City are swearing by this upmarket mall. The whos
who in the fashion, food and lifestyle retail business are talking about
the virtues of sharing space at The Forum. Brands like West Side, Landmark, Reebok,
Adidas, Cafe Day, Bose, Sangeetha, Lee, Wrangler, William Penn, Pepe Jeans, Archies
have set up shop here while the rest are getting ready to do the same.

Bangaloreans
are making a beeline to The Forum to get a
feel of the special shopping experience it promises. Situated next
to Prestige Acropolis on Hosur Road in Koramangala, you just cannot miss its eye-catching
facade. There are two entrances to the mall: from Dairy Circle and Hosur Road.
The ambience of The Forum is designed so as to give other shopping districts in
Bangalore stiff competition.

The
mall is split into four levels. Level 1: Apparel, luxury goods. Level 2: Womens
wear, casual wear, footwear. Level 3: Landmark, food courts. Level 4: The multiplex
with seven normal and four deluxe screens, having a seating capacity of around
30 to 120 people. Besides, there is also the Central Atrium for exhibitions. In
fact, one of the highlights of this mall is the unique parking facility. Something
like a drive-in theatre, it allows a shopper to drive right into the mall, park
his vehicle and walk just a few steps to enter the shop of his choice.

The latest addition to the exciting world of shopping is the Bangalore
Central Mall. In the place where
once stood the sprawling Victoria hotel with its laidback attitude and old world
charm, now stands Bangalores newest shopping mall - Bangalore
Central - opposite Mayo Hall, in the heart of the City. Constructed
with an investment of over Rs 30 crore and occupying over 120,000 sq feet to house
more than 300 brands across various categories, Bangalore Central, is all set
to redefine shopping.

A unique feature is that Bangalore Central is Indias first 'seamless mall
which is aimed at making shopping easier. There are counters for every brand,
but no doors or separators for stores. Its like one huge store within the
ambience of a mall. A cross between Macys and Target, Bangalore Central
also has a floor where you can access your groceries, canned food and imported
fruits. It too has a bookstore and several floors of clothes for everyone in the
family.

The
company managing the mall promises international standards in ambience and services
and is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, offering the customer a
variety of choices with all brands, regional and international under one roof.
The six-storeyed mall boasts of apparel, fashion accessories, supermarket including
Food Bazaar, liquor store, electronics, consumer durables, cosmetics, books and
music on each floor, adding to the convenience of shopping.

Eateries occupy an important place in any shopping centre. Bangalore Central has
its own Food Court with restaurants, cafes and eat-outs, occupied by the likes
of Cookie Man, MTR, Baskin Robins, 3 Amigos, Gangotri and Coffee Day Cafe.

And the mall also boasts of a unique and first-of-its-kind in-house radio called
Radio Central, which will have an RJ anchoring events, playing music
and arranging surprises for customers. Central will also offer services like travel,
cinema ticket booking, payment of bills and foreign exchange. Investment and insurance
services are also on offer.

On the anvil are a wedding registry and Central Square, a specially
dedicated space to host events, displays, art exhibitions and even product launches.

The
mall has ample parking space with two floors dedicated for parking vehicles and
entry from MG Road and Magarath Road. Bangalore Central is the first of the seamless
chain malls which Pantaloons intends to start in other cities as well. Hyderabad
and Pune will be the next cities to have similar malls later this year.

The newest addition
to the Bangalore Malls is the Garuda Mall
on Magarath Road, opposite the Shoppers Stop. With enough space to park a thousand
cars, the city's largest integrated parking complex and "shoppertainment"
centre is spread over 11 floors and two basements. The Complex includes 2,30,000
sq. ft. of shopping and entertainment space on five floors, including a five-screen
multiplex and a 140-room hotel. Garuda's entertainment options will include the
INOX multiplex with five screens and 1,350 seats and activity centres for children.
The complex will also offer shoppers a wide range of cuisines at a food court
with over 20 food counters. Besides, there will be dining options in five exclusive
restaurants serving Oriental, Continental, Mediterranean and Frontier cuisines.

Lido
Mall - The latest mall to have caught the frenzy of
shoppers in the city is Lido.
This spankingly new shopping space is
located at Ulsoor, where the Lido theatre used to be. It sports
everything from designer wear to dazzling accessories from all over the world.At Lido, international brands stand cheek by jowl with their
desi cousins and vie for your attention

Cosmos
Mall, ITPL,
Brookfield - Close to ITPL, the IT corridor and the airport, this mall is one
of the new kids on the block. Boasts of some international quality brands such
as The Body Shop, Thomas Scott, Jewellery from Thailand and Malaysia...in fact
there is even Dollar Store.

Another
recent addition is the Oasis Mall on Inner
Ring Road, Sarjapur which boasts of 200,000 sq feet of shopping and office space.
International brands such FCUK, Calvin Klein, Lifestyle, Spar Hypermarket, NDS
office and a food court are all there. This
mall is not like our other regular malls where you have different shops lined
up, but this is more like Bangalore Central where you have everything under a
common roof. The SPAR supermarket is also a must see. There is ample space to
move around and you wont come across customers bumping into each other.All in
all a good shopping experience.

Some
of the older and smaller Malls that still attract large crowds are:

Shopper's
Stop- Magarath Road. This is a
huge department store which offers an exclusive shopping experience for the discerning
shopper. The store which is considered the The Harrods of Bangalore has the best
brands available in India and are priced reasonable. The window displays are also
attractive and of international standard.

Eva
Mall, Brigade Road - The flower-embossed building called Eva Mall stocks
only women's wear. Shoes, accessories, clothes, swimwear  the entire range
is available at this Mall. Beachwear outfits, in bright colours and with floral
motifs, include tank tops, T-shirts, swimwear, shorts and three-fourth pants.

Safina
Plaza- Infantry Road. This is one of the earliest Malls where the Stores
offer regular Sales and discounts. You can find shops for clothes for the whole
family, shoes, handicrafts and grab a bite to eat at many of the food joints here.Arihant Plaza- Commercial Street. A Busy
Mall for its location which has everything for the Family. This Mall house several
shops sellings an assortment of foods, especially chocolates, biscuits and cookies.
Other than the Sporty, casual and formal wear for girls and guys, the mall also
caters t shoppers interested in accessories and Electronics with great deals.

The
Leela Galleria at 23 Airport Road- Bangalore's one of the largest
Shopping Mall featuring a Sports Centre and an all Night Disco.

5th
Avenue- Brigade Road A shopping mall on four levels with music shops,
men's and women's clothing, the Supermarket, a beauty parlour, gaming centers,
Time and Again disco, a food joint, jewellery shops and shoes.

Mota
Royal Arcade - Brigade Road. - Bangalore's Mall culture started with
this Mall which opened about 7 years ago and was a very popular hang-out for teenagers
and adults alike. Houses the ever popular Only Place restaurant, notorious for
its steaks and desserts. Also has Fashion Flash, G's lanes for bowling and pool
and the One Stop Shop for everything under the sun. All the parking space you
need is available underground.

Devatha
Plaza- Residency Road. A Well known name under shopping complexes but
has lost its charm after the big ones have taken over. You can find shops selling
flowers, clothes, and also several doctors and dentists in this complex.

Alankar
Pearl Plaza- Kempegowda Road. Another very busy and popular rendevouz
for families for its wide range of garments and other discount shops.

Hong
Kong Market- Gandhinagar, below Tribhuvan Theater. Sell imported goods
like cutlery, chocolates, electronics etc. Sells mosts imported and smuggled goods.
One needs to be very careful while shopping here as most of the goods sold are
not genuine ones.